Swimming shoe



March 9, 1937. F. s. SUTHERLAND SWIMMING SHOE Filed June 16, 1936 Patented Mar. 9, 1937i' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

The invention relates to footwear for use bY swimmers, and has for its principal object the provision of an improved construction of boot or shoe whereby the act of swimming will be accelerated, and also the boot or shoe will more adequately serve to sustain its wearer when treading water, and thereby be in its nature a safety appliance for swimmers.

A further object of the invention is the provilG sion of a shoe or boot to be worn by swimmers having the top portion of the shoe provided with wings on opposite sides thereof that are expanded and lled with water when making a swimming stroke so as to increase the efficiency l5 of the swimmer in the act of swimming.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a flap mounted on and secured to the counter, quarters, and the heel portion of the shoe upper, such ap being spaced from the sole and heel of the shoe, and providing means to also oier resistance to the water in the act of swimming. In carrying out this last object there is provided a lleXible stay or brace for the flap, one of said braces or stays being secured to the shoe at the heel and to the ap, the other arranged on the inner side of the shoe opposite the instep, and serving to prevent the flap from belling inwardly when filled with water in the act of swimming, or in other words to more evenly distribute the resistance around the edges of the shoe or boot.

The invention will be described more in detail hereinafter and will be found illustrated in the accompanying drawing in whichz Figure l is a side view partly broken away and in section of a swimmers boot or shoe made in accordance with the invention,

Figure 2 is a bottom plan View,

Figure 3 is a iront sectional view on a plane indicated by the line 3-3 oi Figure l looking in the direction of the arrows, and

Figure 4 is a rear View partly broken away and in section on a slightly smaller scale.

In the drawing similar reference characters are used to designate corresponding parts in all the views.

The improved swimmers boot or shoe as disclosed in the drawing is preferably made heelless, and with a flat sole I0 to which is secured the upper including the counter II, the quarters I2, and the heel portion I3. The top of the shoe In fashioning the shoe and the parts hereinafter applied thereto any suitable material may be employed, but it has been found that the use of the prepared canvas or duck such as is used for making power belts is a very suitable material and is substantially water-proof.

Secured to the top I5 and on opposite sides thereof are wing members Il, said wing members being secured to the top I 5 by one or more rows of stitching along the top edge of the wing and adjacent to the top edges of the shoe, as shown at I8.

Another row or two of stitching I9 secures the front edge of each Wing to the shoe top I5, and the rear edges of the two wings are secured on opposite sides of the back seam of the top as shown at 20. This leaves the lower edges of the wings unattached, so that when in use and in the water in kicking rearwardly in the act of a swimming stroke said wings will obviously fill with water and expand and serve to advance and increase the force of the swimming stroke and thereby provide for greater speed and efficiency in swimming.

As a further aid to the swimmer the upper below the top is also provided with means for increasing the stroke, consisting of a flap that entirely encloses the counter, quarters and heel of the shoe, and is secured thereto, the flap being designated 2|, and the stitching for securing it to the upper portion of the counter, quarters,vand heel is designated 22.

The lower edge of the ap is free from the shoe on all sides, and serves to receive the water during a rearwardly kicking movement in swimming to increase the force of the stroke, as heretofore stated in reference to the wings.

To prevent the flap from belling on the inner side of the boot, as it is likely to do in some swimming strokes, a stay or brace is secured to the shoe as shown at 23 on the inner side of the shoe opposite the instep, and another brace 24 connects the rear portion of the flap with the heel of the shoe, said braces being sewed or otherwise secured to the flap and to the shoe, preferably through ilanges 25 and 26, respectively. In the drawing these flanges are shown to be stitched as indicated at 2l, but obviously any other means may be used for securing these flanges to the parts.

I claim as my invention:-

l. A swimming shoe having a counter, quarters and heel portions, a flap member surrounding the shoe counter, quarters and heel portions and having its upper edge secured to the upper Vedge oi said portions and its lower edge spaced from the lower edges of said portions providing a space to catch water during a swimming driving stroke.

2. A swimming shoe as in claim 1, stays connecting said ap member with the shoe, one of said stays being approximately opposite the instep on the inner side of the shoe, and another stay connecting the ap with the back of the heel portion, said stays providing means to prevent belling of the ap towards the inner side o1' the shoe.

FRANK S. SUTHERLAND. 

